The present invention relates to the field of beds and more particularly to beds which are adjustable for comfort.
The concept of an adjustable bed is perhaps as old as man himself. Once having discovered filling animal skins with dry grass, leaves or feathers the next obvious move was to arrange the filled animal skins in positions of comfort, one for sleeping, another for sitting and perhaps arranging these filled animal skins in what we now refer to as the recumbent position. What is this recumbent position? The definition, not found in all dictionaries being a word not commonly used, is lying down, wholly or partly; reclining; leaning. The word, having several meanings, is not a precise word but may be used to describe a position that is a most comfortable for sleeping but may differ depending on the person. Early man being a creature of comfort like modem man must have discovered ways to improve his comfort but did not leave a record of his progress.
Early adjustable beds were used in hospitals and other facilities which house invalids who are forced to spend extensive periods of time in bed for reasons of health, injury or physical handicap. Then the advent of television created a market for adjustable beds for home use and mass production reduced the cost to where they became affordable to many as a leisure bed.
Throughout the history of the adjustable bed many inventors brought about changes, each making contributions, such as changing from manually operated to motor driven, changing the number of articulated sections, the number of motors, methods of construction, safety features, etc. After a close look at the prior art associated with the many inventions with respect to these inventors we find they labored in the field of hospital or institutional beds purchased mostly by hospitals and institutions. These beds were beds best suited for patient care by doctors and nurses and to a lesser degree the comfort of the patients. Thus we see that comfort was not a major issue in the designs of hospital or institutional type beds.
When television came into vogue enterprising individuals were quick to see a market for adjustable articulating beds as a means to leisurely view television or read in bed. This new market potential sparked the interest of inventors also to labor in finding ways to create new products for this market.
After a close look at the prior art associated with the inventions in respect to leisure beds we find the inventors labored to adapt the adjustable, articulating bed to the leisure market in the same way as was used to design the hospital type beds. They were generally in areas of light weight but sturdy construction, portability, attractiveness, electronics, and mass production, thus reducing the cost based on volume. Some work was done to prevent mattress slippage and add movement to improve access to stationary objects placed alongside the bed. But the added weight and cost to the bed are considered by many to be too great. The current beds, perhaps due to their heritage are still lacking in comfort, some of which is also due to the continuing the one size fits all approach and the lack of a good marriage between the bed and its mattress.
Development of a system for producing anthropometric and quasi-anthropometric adjustable, articulating beds using a combined articulating and orbiculating motion which can match the articulation of human forms in all their individual variances within a given size range represents a great improvement in the field of adjustable beds and satisfies a long felt need of adjustable bed designers and users.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a system for producing anthropometric and quasi-anthropometric adjustable, articulating beds using a combined articulating and orbiculating motion that, in a complimentary manner, matches the articulation of human forms in all their individual variances within a given size range of five to seven feet tall, thus covering ninety-eight percent of the world population. The anthropometric type, adjustable articulating bed is matched to a particular human form by actual measurements of the intended user, using the link length measuring system, then applying the data in the construction of the bed. There are three measurements necessary to match the bed to the intended user: the overall height, the distance from the top of the head to the hip pivot point, and the distance from the hip pivot point to the knee pivot point. The overall height determines the proper frame and mattress length; the distance from the top of the head to the hip pivot point determines the location of the intended user in relationship to the head end of the mattress and the length of the torso supporting sections; and the distance from the hip pivot point to the knee pivot point determines the length of the thigh supporting sections. All other data required to produce the bed can be calculated. Upper bed frames and mattress lengths are made in four standard lengths: small, seventy-four inches; medium, eighty inches; large, eighty-six inches; and extra large, ninety-two inches. Thus the small upper frame and mattress are suited for users five to five and one half feet tall; the medium frame and mattress is suited for users five and one half to six feet tall etc.
There are three types of components that articulate the beds: an actuator having two motors, and two double reduction gears packaged in one split gear case; an articulating mechanism having components to articulate the lower legs, thighs, and increase the length of the thigh support sections when pivotally articulated upward; and two orbiculators which orbitally articulate the torso using a combined motion from the module. The actuator powers two parallel torque tubes that pass through the gear case at opposite ends, one powers the module, and the other powers the orbiculators. The torque tubes are connected to the module using two quick release type couplings and one coupling to each of the two orbiculators making the actuator xe2x80x9cfree floatingxe2x80x9d within the upper bed frame. Since the torque tubes are a fixed distance apart, the module and the orbiculators must also be a fixed distance apart.
Secondly, since the bed mechanisms are made in two widths the actuators must also be made to match by having the torque tubes vary in length accordingly. Having established that a fixed relationship must exist in regard to the location of the actuator, the module, and the orbiculators, relative to each other as a unit, or xe2x80x9cclusterxe2x80x9d, the cluster can be located variably within the bed frame to match the requirements of the intended user. This feature is mandatory in making an anthropometric or quasi-anthropometric bed and part of the present invention.
The selection of materials and processes used to construct anthropometric type beds is important for several reasons: firstly, size, to produce beds ranging in length from seventy-four to ninety-two inches, weight and strength becomes a critical factor, thus engineered aluminum alloy extrusions are used extensively for frames and articulating support sections; secondly plastic extrusions are used for wear surfaces; (extrusions provide a way to make parts that are similar except for length); thirdly steel stampings are used where high stress is a factor, (these parts are usually plated with zinc). Aluminum alloy die-castings are used to make the actuator gear cases and the orbiculator gear cases that require a minimum amount of machining after casting and trimming. The orbiculator rotors are centrifugally cast, rimmed and used xe2x80x9cas castxe2x80x9d.
In summation it is the size of the intended user that controls how anthropometric beds are constructed; the overall height controls the frame and mattress length, and the associated parts used in connection with the frame size selected; the dimension from the top of the head to the hip pivot point controls the location of the xe2x80x9ccluster of componentsxe2x80x9d within the bed frame and the length of the torso supporting sections. Quasi-anthropometric beds are identical to anthropometric except they are made to accommodate a particular group of people having incremental heights and having proportional common skeletal forms, or groups of people having proportional differences related to race or ethnography. The quasi-anthropometric beds are made using sizes and dimensions available from published sources like xe2x80x9cHuman Scalexe2x80x9d by Henry Dreyfuss Associates, M I T Press or other human engineering studies. Demographics may become important especially in large U.S. cities. All quasi-anthropometric beds are pre-manufactured and selected at the point of sale. Anthropometric beds and mattresses are made for comfort by giving maximum body support, elimination of pressure points, and matched articulation to the intended user throughout the entire range of articulation.
An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the present invention and an understanding of it may be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings and description of a preferred embodiment.